Background information. We are veteran cruisers in our mid-fifties, no children, and have done a variety of short and long cruises on several different cruise lines, including Disney, Oceania, RCI, Princess, Holland America, and Cunard. Our most recent cruises have been on Oceania and Disney. We decided to try a cruise on Oasis of the Seas, as we are both engineers by training and we were very curious to see this engineering marvel. Our last cruise on RCI was in 1991, on the old Nordic Prince. The last cruise we took just prior to this adventure on Oasis was an 18-day exploration of Norway and points above the Arctic Circle on the 700-passenger Nautica (Oceania Cruise Lines) in July, 2013 and we sailed on Disney Fantasy in March, 2013. Both of those experiences were excellent.

Booking the cruise and flights: Through our TA in February, 2013, we booked an outside balcony cabin on Deck 10 of Oasis, port side, midships, with a larger and more sheltered balcony. The prices were higher for Christmas week, but still quite reasonable. We used miles for our United flights from our home city to Ft. Lauderdale.

Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale and transfers to the ship: We independently booked one night at the Hilton Marina. The hotel is convenient to the port and has a great location on the Intracoastal Waterway; the room was acceptable, not great (some wear and tear), but the hotel has a nice pool area and outdoor dining option. We also had free breakfast the morning of embarkation. We used a shuttle service from the hotel to the ship (included in the hotel room rate). The van dropped off passengers at more than one dock. Read more